Corset and bust-form therefor.



G. MAYER & S. YAPFE.

consm' AND BUST FORM THEREFOR.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 1,1909.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. MAYER & S. YAFFE.

CORSET AND BUST FORM THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1,1909.

CLARENCE MAYER AND SAMUEL YAFFE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CORSET AND BUST-FORM THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

Application filed October 1, 1909. Serial No. 520,485.

To all whom 'it may conccm:

Be it known that we, CLARENCE MAYER and Samoan YAFFE, citizens of the United States, and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improve- -1nents in Corsets and Bust-Forms Therefor;

and we do hereby declare that the followin is a full, clear, and exact description thereo reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel corset and bust form provided with pads, such as pneuinatic bags or other form modifying devices "produce a corset, which may be of ordinary or usual form in its parts which cover or embrace the hips, the waist and lower bust portion of the human figure, thatis formed 7 with an upper, flexible bust covering part 10- catcd above the stifi'ened portion of the corset and formed with pockets or other anal0- gous means for receiving and for holding bust form pads, such as inflatable air bags,

which are adapted to simulate the developed bust of the human form, the said flexible bust portion being made a permanent part of the corset.

Another object of the invention is to provide a corset having as a permanent part thereof the flexible bust portion described arranged to receive two separate air bags or two separate cells in a single piece air bag, whereby either side of the bust may be separately el' tended more or less to give symmetrical e fi'eEt to the air form bust portion of the corset, notwithstanding the unsymmetrical shape of the human form which it covers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction in which the flexible bust portion is attached to the rigid or stayed portion of the corset in such a way as to firmly hold said bust portion laterally and vertically in position on the wearer.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of pad whlch 1s so arranged as to give correct anatomical contour to the bust portion from points in front and beneath the arms of the wearer to the central median line of the bust. The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in. the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front perspective view of our improved corset, as when in position on the human figure. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary inside View of one of the halves of the corset. F ig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates in side elevation the air bag used in the corset shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of our corset. Fig. 7 is a rear view of the corset shown in Fig. 6, illustrating also the back of the corset shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is an illustration of a single piece double-cell air bag used in the corset shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Fig. 9 is a horizontal transverse view through the pocket of the corset, showing the contour of the air form bag when lying against the bust of the human form. Fig. 10 is a detail of one of the backfastening buttons used in the corset shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

A corset embodying our invention may be made of any preferred construction with respect to its waist supporting and hip forming parts, and has an upper flexible bust portion, which is firmly attached to the stiffened or stayed part of the corset. The said upper flexible bust portion of the corset embraces as a part of its construction bust form pads, as the pneumatic air bags shown, that may be contained in pockets in the bust portion, said pads being located wholly above the stiffened part of the corset and so as to lie over the principal part of the bust of the figure and to be held firmly in position by the attachment of said flexible bust portion to the stiffened part of the corset. The construct-ion is such that the bust pads when partially inflated fill out or modify the bust of the figure and provide freedom of movement of the muscles of the wearer about the bust of the figure, while affording a proper support of the figure below the bust portlon as in ordinary, corsets. The bust form pads are so shaped that when applied to the breast of the wearer they fill out the bust of the figure from points adjacent to the arm pits across the bust, and are independently formable so as to give proper and symmetrical contour to the bust from the median line thereof toward either side.

As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the eyelets or openings in the rear margins of the corset sides. The portion of the corset which covers the waist, the hips and the lower'part of the bust portion of the figure may be stiffened by the use of the usual steels or bones as indicated in Fig. 1.

Attachedto and forming the upper part of each half or side of the corset is a flexible front portion 12 and a flexible rear portion 13, said upper flexible ortions being wholly above the stayed or stiffened part of the corset. The front flexible portions of the corset halves are made with double, or front and rear walls 1 1. and 15, thereby forming pockets to receive bust form pads, as the inflatable bags 16, which may be made of rubber or like material, the inflation of which is adapted to give a desired form to the flexible bust portion of the corset. The rear portions 13 of the corset halves, as herein shown, constitute flaps-that are sewed to the upper margins of the stiffened or stayed parts of the corset sides or halves and constitute means for fastening to the rear side of the corset shoulder straps 17 which are attached at their forward ends in any suitable mannerto the upper flexible pocket portions of the corset. The two pockets thus formed, and containing the pads, constitute the front upper bust portion of the corset, and the front margins of said pockets may be attached together at the median line of the corset by means of hooks and eyes 18, 19, respectively, or other equivalent fastening devices. The stiffened portion of the corset terminates wholly below the flexible bust portion and the front marginal portions of the bust portion, which are fastened together by the hooks and eyes 18 and 19, are flexible so that this part of the garment is as readily'conforma-ble'to the figure as is any part of the upper bust portion of the corset. The front and rear, walls 14 and 15 of the pockets are made of any suitable, flexible material and are devoid of any stiffening medium so that the said pockets will readily take the form given thereto by the inflated or partially inflated air bags 16 contained therein, and also permit free movement of the muscles of the wearer about the bust. The front and rear fabric walls 14, 15 of the pockets are shown as provided at their margins with binding strips 20, 21, respectively, The binding strips 21 of the rear wall may extend continuously around the margins of the walls, while the binding strips 20 of the front walls may extend along the front margins of said front walls and around the lower margins thereof and upwardly to a binding strip 22 that is sewed along theupper margins of the front walls of the pockets and extend .rearwardly along the.

pockets. The binding strips at the inner and top edges of the pockets may be temporarily stitched together so as to afford means for the insertion and removal of the bust pads, or said front and topedges or margins of the pocket walls may be otherwise suitably fastened together, as by means of buttons, whereby to afford means to insert the pads into and remove them from the pockets. So far as the broaderfeatures of our invention are concerned, the flexible pocketed bust portion of the corset may be otherwise formed and attached to the stiffened parts of the corset, whileretaining the advantage of the construct-ion with respect to the location and the permanence of the bust portion.

-The inflatable bags 16 may be, and are herein shown as, each made of two sheets 25, 25 of rubber, cut to proper form and laid one on the other andcemented together at their edges to form relatively wide solid rims 26.- Through said rims or portions thereof may pass the stitches by which the bags may be secured in place in the pockets. Each bag is providedwith a separate inflating tube 27 that extends through the rim thereof and has at its outer end a nipple 28 I that is closed by a screw-threaded cap 29. So far as is concerned the general features of the invention with respect to the manner of constructing the corset with its upper flexible bust portion, the said pads may be otherwise made. As a further and separate feature of the invention, however, we have provided a novel form of bust pad for use in corsets of the construction described, and which may also be used in the flexible bust portions of other garments to modify the bust of the wearer. The feature of the improvements relating to the bustpads may be applied to separate pads, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, or to a duplex pad, as shown in Fig. 8, hereinafter to be described. v The said pad, as shown in front elevation in Fig. 4, is formed with a downwardly curved portion 31 at its lower edge near theinner end thereof, and with an out wardly pointed portion 32 which extends to a point beneath the arm pit of the wearer or i the pad rises sharply from the downwardly curved lower. portion 31 to the outer point 32, and the upper margin thereof is curved upwardly from said point 32, as indicated at 33, and thence downwardly and inwardly to the inner end of the pad. The rim 26 at the inner end of the ad, when made as an inflatable bag, is ma e slightly wider than the rim surrounding the remaining ortion of the bag or pad. The hollow portions of the pads are thus given a general pear shape, with the smaller ends thereof directed outwardly and upwardly toward the arm pits and with the larger ends thereof near the inner, lower ends of the pads. The form thus given to the pads imparts to the flexible bust portion of the corset or other garment a contour accurately simulating the developed human breast when supported by a corset of ordinary form, the fullness imparted thereto by the pads extending outwardly from the median line of the'breast and diminishing toward the arm pits in a natural manner. By making the rim portions at the inner ends of the pads somewhat wider than at the other margins of said pads, the distended bust portion of the corsetis divided along the median line thereof by a natural inward curve between the two lateral parts of the bust; and this effect is enhanced by reason of the flexibility of the fastening margins of the upper flexible'bust portions.

In Figs. 6-and 7 we have shown our invention as embodied in a single piece corset, the two parts or halves 35, 35 of which are fastened together along the median line of the back by means of buttons 36 on the margin one art of which engages button holes formed in the margin of the other part. The said buttons are shown as fastened to the corset body by means of flexible tapes 37 which are looped through the holes of the buttons, thereby giving the necessary flexibility to enable the garment to be readily buttoned. In this form of garment we may rovide at the lateral front sides thereof shts or openings 39, 39 which extend from points just above the waist line of the corset to the bottom thereof, and which openings may be closed by lacing strings 40, 40, laced through eyelets at the margins of said openin s; vWith this construction the corset may be uttoned at the back while the front openings 39 are unlaced, and said openings may be thereafter closed by the lacing strings to produce the proper support ing effect of the corset about the waist and hips of the wearer. In this latter form of corset we provide an upper flexible bust portion 42 which is formed with inner and outerwalls 43, 44, respectively,- to constitute a single pocket extending from side to side of the flexible bust .portion. This pocket is-arranged to receive asingle piece, two-cell inflatable bag or other bust pad 45 shown in Figs. 8 and 9, each side of which is made substantially like the single pad 16 shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The two cells 46, 46 of said bag 45 may be formed between two like shaped rubber sheets which, in the manufacture thereof, are laid one over the other and are cemented at their margins to form the solid rims 47. The said sheets are also cemented together between the cells to form a web 48 of considerable width which divides the cells or bags, and the cells are adapted to be independently inflated through tubes 49 that extend through the solid rims of the cells. The rear upper flexible portion of the corset shown in Figs. 6 ahid 7 is like that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and like parts bear the same reference letters. 'The two-cell inflatable bag may be inserted into the pocket of the flexible bust portion 42 and attached therein in generally the same manner as in the constructionv before described. Vhen the two-cell bag is inflated, it produces the same general contour of the bust ortion of the garment as in the previous y described construction. This form of two-cell bag may also be used in unstiifened waists and also in corset covers. The web 48 between the cells of the two-cell bag shown in Fig. 8, divides the'distended cells along the median line ofthe bust in simulation of the natural contour of the human breast, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 9.

The two-cell bag or pad 45 may also be used in the garment shown in Fig. 1 and in such event provision will need to be made for withdrawing one lobe or half from one side of the flexible bust portion when the garment is opened at its front. The inflating tubes of the bags or cells may extend outwardly from the bags or cells through the walls of the pockets and lie behind said pockets, as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be apparent from the foregoing I that the bust portion of the garment will assume the correct outlines or contour desired and that the pads will be held firmly in position without any danger of displacement. \Vhen used inand constituting part of a corset structure, the stiffened part of the corset gives the necessary su port to the waist and lower bust portion of the figure, and the necessary forming effect to the hip portions of the figure and the pads give the desired form to the bust, while at the same time permitting ample freedom of movement of the muscles of'the bust.

Changes in the structural details may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention. For instance, the flexible bust pockets for the bust pads may in some cases be dctachably attached to the stiffened part of the corset by means affording a firm the stiffened corset body,

attachment when. in place. When somade thepockets may .be'readily removed from combination with the stiflened or stayed lower portion for supporting the waist and re, and open at lower bust portion of the figu front opening its front and provided at its with fastening means, of a flexible upper bust portion located wholly above and attached at its lower margin to the upper margin of the stiffened portion of the corset and comprising inner and outer walls and divided in line withthe front opening of the front margins of said upper bust portion being flexible and provided at its flexlble margins with fastening devices independent of the fastening devices of the lower stiffened portion of the corset, and bust pads removably seated between said flexible upper bust portion walls.

2. In a corset, the combination with a stiffened or stayed lower portion for supporting the waist and the lower bust portion of the figure, of a flexible bust portion located wholly above and attached at its lower margin to the upper margin of the front stiffened portion of the corset and formed to provide pockets which are incorporated in and form part of the corset structure and which extend to the arm pits of the garment, and elongated bust pads in said pockets extending at their outer ends to the outer ends I of the pockets and diminishing in vertical width to form outer pointed ends, the

pointed ends of the pads being located above the longitudinal center lines thereof.

3. In a corset, the combination with a stiffened or stayed lower portion for supporting the waistand the lower bust portion of the figure, ofa flexible bust portion located wholly above and attached at its lower margin to the upper margin of the front stiffened portion of the corset and formed. to provide pockets which are incorporated in and form part of the corset structure and which extend to the arm pits of the garment, and inflatable bags or cells in said pockets having means for admittin air thereto to inflate the same, said inflata le bags or cells extending at their outer ends to the outer ends of the pockets at the arm pitsof the garment and diminishing in vertical Width toward their outer pointed ends.

4. In a corset, the combination with a stiffened or stayed lower portion for supporting the waist and the lower bust portion of the figure, of a flexible bust portion located wholly above and attached at its lower margin to the upper margin of the stiffened front portion of the corset, said bust portion embracing inner and outer walls between which are formed pockets which extend outwardly to the arm pits of the garment and are pointed at their outer ends and inflatable bags or cells in said pockets havin for admittin air thereto to inflate t e same, said inflatab e bags or cells extendin at their outer ends to the pockets and dlmmishing in vertical width toward their outer pointed ends, the pointed outer ends of the bags being located above the longitudinal center lines thereof.

5. In a corset,. the combination with a stiffened or stayed lower portion for supporting the waist and the lower bust portion of the figure,

gin tothe upper. margin of the stifl'ened portion and embracin inner and outer walls between which are formed pockets which extend at their outer ends to the arm pits of the garment and are,tapered outwardly to points and inflatable bags or cells having means for admitting air thereto to inflate the same, said inflatable bags or cells having tapered outer ends which extend into the tapered ends of the pockets at the arm pits of the garment, and provided at their inner ends with widened solid rims to suitably separate the air bags when distended.

6. In a garment, a waist portion and a flexible bust portion formed with inner and outer walls to provide a pocket which extends to the arm its of the garment, and a double bust pad in said pocket, one pad at each side of the front median line of the corset, each extending at one end to the outer end of its pocket beneath the arm pit and diminishing in vertical width to form outer pointed ends, the pointed ends of the pads being located above thelongitudinal center lines thereof. r

'7. In a garment, a waist portion and a flexible bust ortion formedv with inner and outer walls, 1nflatable bags or cells between said walls, median line of the garment, and formed between overlving layers of flexible material which are astened together at their edges and are also fastened together along the median line of the corset to produce a wide web portion which divides the bags or cells from each other, and means for separately inflating said bags;

8. In a garment, a waist portion and a flexible bust portion embracing inner and outer walls between which are formed pockets, one at each side of the median line of the corset, inflatable bags or cells in said pockets and flexible filling tubes for use in separately inflating the air bags or cells, said tubes being located at the inner lower sides of the cells and extending through the rear walls of the pockets at the sides of the front median line of the corset and adapted to hang down inside of and be concealed by the front of the corset.

of a flexible bust portion located aboVe and attached at its lower marone at each side of the frontmeans the outer smaller en s of 9. In acorset, a corset-body 0 en at the front side thereof and provided w1th fastening means at the margins of its side members, the lower corset body bein stiffened ""5 or stayed to support the waist and the lower bust portion of the figure, a flexible bust portion located wholly above and attached at its lower margin to the upper margin of the stifl'ened portion of the corset and comio prising inner and outer walls, said flexible bust portion being divided in line with the front opening of the stiffened corset body and provided at the margins of its front opening with fastenin devices, and air bags or cells seated in'sai flexible bust portion 15 and havin means for admitting air thereto to inflate t 1e same. f In testimony, that we claim the foregoing as our invention we aflix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses,,this 21st day 20 of September A. D. 1909.

CLARENCE MAYER. SAMUEL YAFFE. Witnesses:

W. L. HALL, Gnonen R. WILKINS. 

